Over the past couple years, with an increasing number of employees being laid off and unemployment rates climbing across the country, we have been experiencing a primarily employer-driven market. Instead of posting job openings and praying that someone will apply, employers have been posting positions and then weeding through hundreds of resumes. Hiring managers have become more specific in their searches, screening out people who don’t have experience with the most recent version of a software package or who are missing one key word on their resume. 

I was recruiting for some help desk positions recently, and I received more than 500 responses to one of my online ads. I immediately screened most of them out due to having no help desk experience or being extremely over qualified. Of the 20 or so who actually matched the job requirements on paper, after phone screens and interviews, I ended up presenting my top five candidates to my client, who selected just one of them to join their team. That is one out of 500 inquiries, and that does not include the candidates I actively recruited, or those who were referred to me. 

My client had the luxury of being so specific with their requirements because when you add up candidates who applied to them directly and candidates who were submitted through other recruiters, this position probably received a few thousand applicants. With odds like that, it’s no wonder that so many job applicants have struggled to secure new positions in recent years!

In response to this employer-driven market I have seen many companies make the mistake of offering entry-level positions to senior-level people, or offering them a much lower salary than they are worth. Unfortunately, candidates have been settling for these positions and accepting poor job offers because they couldn’t afford to remain unemployed. However, these jobs were never intended to be a long-term solution; rather a temporary band-aid. 

It goes without saying then, that during the past several months I have seen many these quick-fix hiring decisions fall apart, leaving employers with several vacant positions and increasing attrition rates. Senior-level people who accepted entry-level jobs are now accepting job offers that are a closer match to their work experience and desired salary. Instead of projects being put on hold, wage and hiring freezes, and mass layoffs, an increasing number of companies are seeing just the opposite. Employers are starting to hire again, and the market is beginning to turn in candidates’ favor.

What does this mean for employers? It means more competition to hire the best talent. Low ball job offers and mediocre benefits packages won’t cut it anymore. In fact, I have seen more candidates receive multiple job offers and counter-offers in the past few months than I have in the past few years.  I have seen some pretty impressive job offers turned down recently because the candidates were interviewing for jobs that paid a little bit more or that were a little bit closer to home. I have seen too many employers lose candidates to their competitors because they took too long to schedule an interview. 

The bottom line is, the market is turning, and employers need to adjust their recruiting and hiring strategies accordingly. I am not saying that unemployment rates are not still high; I am not saying that candidates no longer have to compete for job openings. What I am saying is that employment conditions are moving in the right direction for job seekers, slowly but surely. So although we have been experiencing an employer-driven market the past few years, the candidate-driven market is right around the corner. Let’s just hope enough employers are ready to compete!

Julie Pentis, Aureus Group Recruiter

About Julie Pentis
Julie has been with Aureus Group since 2006 after graduating from Creighton University with a BSBA in Human Resources and Spanish. In 2010 Julie received her MBA from Bellevue University.  As a technical recruiter for the Information Systems team, she is responsible for sourcing, qualifying, and matching candidates with job opportunities in the Kansas City area. In 2007 Julie earned the designation of Certified Personnel Consultant and currently serves as vice president of membership for a local Toastmaster’s group and co-chair for HRAM’s Workforce Readiness Committee. In her free time Julie enjoys spending time with her dog Jack at the dog park and singing in her church choir.